Rainy Haze
by RinaluffsPokemonboys
Summary: The rain caused Erik numerous problems. The biggest one happens to live right across from him... Erik/Kross. Fluff, Yaoi, and Friendship.


There is an unfortunate lack of Rune Factory Fanfiction. D; So, I've decided to write a bit of it. Mostly oneshots. Heres the finished one, and warning, It's Yaoi [which does not stand for _Young Academics on Ice, _mind.] And it's Kross & Erik. :'D ..It's more of a bff thing, but theres some Yaoi at the end.

_WARNING: This fanfiction is filled with fluff? _

_

* * *

_

The rain caused Erik numerous problems. He had to make sure his farm didn't flood, and that his delicate strawberries got enough light afterwards, not to mention, soggy vegetables often led to poor seeds. Oh the humanity! Poor seeds… he would hang himself if he ever sold a batch of them. Now, on topic again, it was not his farm, or the tasty plants in his field, that he worried about most. It was actually the young slightly-hunched man right across the path.

It wasn't just on rainy days, mind. Kross caused him issues on a daily basis. He wasn't trying to, I'm sure, but Erik couldn't help but worry. You see, not unlike Selphy with her books, Kross often became so consumed with his work that he went for days without eating or sleeping. So Erik had started to take it upon himself. He thought he was being a bit of a hero, and perhaps the ladies would see it that way as well… Everyday at exactly six PM, the young lad packed up a wicker basket of his fresh vegetables, and a few other things like bread and wine (All donated by the lovely Eunice), and headed across the road to the almost always lit house of Kross'.

On rainy days, how ever, there was a bit of a difference. Kross had once confided to him that he had always had issues sleeping, unless it was storming. So you would assume that the long haired carpenter would take it easy on those days, and perhaps sleep earlier. But Kross saw it totally different. He thought he would work double, as he slept well either way. When that happened, well, Erik had his work cut out for him.

On this drenched fall evening, our advice giver stood in front of his wooden table, double checking the basket, ensuring that everything was packed neatly, and nothing would fall out on his mad dash to the farm. Seeing everything in order, Erik tucked a clean rag over it, and snuffed out the candle. He slipped his feet into his leather boots, and ducked outside, slamming the door behind him.

It never got too dark in Trampoli, not with the colorful runeys floating around. Personally, Erik preferred it that way. He had never exactly been a fan of the dark. It was always comforting to see a few runeys floating outside his window. The cultivator turned his head and locked his glowing caramel colored eyes on the warm house before him. It was just a "hop, skip, and a jump away" as they said.

It was amazing how hard it could rain in the region. He had been outside for probably two seconds, and already his front was drenched! Ah well, no use pondering over these things now. Erik tightened his grasp on the braided basket handle, and took off running, smashing his leather boots into mud puddles. He scrambled up the ledge separating the trails, and within seconds he was in front of Kross' door, some how soaked to the bone, his hair plastered against his face, and the tunic he had received for New Year's soaked with enough water to fill up two cheap water cans. Shaking the sticky locks out of his eyes, Erik rapped on the door quickly with his white knuckles.

He waited for a moment, examining the oak door in front of him. It was expertly crafted, not a sliver out of place. Kross had designed and built this home himself, along with practically the rest of town. Erik had always been amazed by the man's skill. He had a way with his hands, an attention to detail. He would've easily said that Kross was far more trained in his skill than Ganesha was in hers, if Ganesha would ever put down that giant crafted hammer. An almost lazy-like scuffling from inside the hut brought Erik out of his thoughts. There was a click of a lock, and then the door opened a crack. Amazingly, it never creaked like his did.

"Hi. Oh… it's you. Come in." The monotone voice said through silky black curtains of hair. Kross stood there, slightly hunched. He pushed the door open more and beckoned Erik in.

"Of course it's me! Who else would come calling at 6 at night, when buckets are falling from the sky?!" Erik yelled over the thunderous noises of the rain, and stepped into the house. "Let's go. Time to put the things away, Kross." Erik said matter-of-factly, looking over at all the scrolls that blanketed not only the desk, but the floor as well. Kross shook his head slightly, his long ebony hair fluttering about. Erik rolled his eyes. "Fine. Five minutes, understood?"

Again, the carpenter said nothing, and instead shuffled back to his desk. Erik watched him carefully, and then stepped into the second room, comfortably holding a kitchenette and table, along with a bed and a wardrobe that Kross never seemed to unlock. The man dropped the basket onto the table, and with a gloved hand, pulled the rag off. Well, it didn't appear the food had been damaged by the rain, but unfortunately, he could not say the same for his beloved tunic. It was dripping wet, and everywhere it seemed to go, a puddle followed him. "Oi, Young man," He said it this time in a mocking tone. "Where do you keep your towels?" Erik waited, arms crossed over soaking tunic, as the soft scratching of pen on paper paused. Then, from the doorway, a white towel came hurdling through. "Thanks." Erik called, and quickly burying his face into the scratchy Wooly-fur towel, drying off his face and pulling off his shirt.

"How about some pants?" Erik yelled again, draping the tunic in front of the crackling fire. The pen movement stopped again, Erik snorted to himself, he could feel the annoyance. More scuffling, and then a pair of what seemed to be cargo pants flew like a bullet, hitting Erik in the face. "Young man!" Erik spluttered, picking the pants off of his face. He raised his voice in a very pseudo-gay way. "If I get whiplash!" He didn't bother to finish.

The boy retreated into the corner of the other room and quickly stripped down, dropping his soaking pants over the fire next to his teal tunic. Hopefully the rain would be gone by the time dinner was done. But, knowing Trampoli… There was a roar of the rolling thunder, and Erik flinched as he pulled on the spare change of pants. He had never been a fan of noises. Ah yes, call him weak, but he liked his life light and quite.

Erik checked his watch. "Three more minutes!" He shouted into the next room, and started to unpack the basket. Having done this about a hundred times before, the man skillfully managed to pull out two plates, cutlery, and mugs in one hand. After they were neatly settled onto the table he dove back into the basket for the rest. A loaf of bread, a good deal of chicken with stuffing, along with some kind of salad, and for the first time, a thermos instead of a wine bottle.

Watch check. Thirty Seconds. "Kross, put it away." Erik said, dropping the basket to the floor and kicking it out of the way. He'd retrieve it later. The paper scratching didn't stop. Ugh. The difficult times were starting. "I said enough." Erik repeated, stepping into the other room and staring at Kross' bent head. The man made no reaction. It was almost as if he wasn't there at all. Ironic almost, as Kross himself was ignored by most of the town on a daily basis. [Not purposefully mind, the man just did not leave much of a presence.] "Ugh. Fine, you asked for it." Erik rolled his shoulders and made a show of stretching. "Don't say you weren't warned!" And Erik flew at him, pushing the man off his chair, and sending both of them flying into a pile of discarded scrolls of paper. The mess of boys, tangled in each other, somersaulted until eventually they came to a halt, Erik poised over top of the other, pinning him down.

This was rather common for the two boys, the rough-housing that is. It was quite a fun way to let off steam. Of course, it always ended with someone needing a bandaid, or in the rare case, a visit to Lara, who would chew them out in the nicest way possible.

Erik's victory was short lived, unfortunately, as it almost always was, as Kross stuck out his foot and flipped the brunette over, capturing Erik in a headlock. It was surprising for Erik. Kross didn't seem much like it, but he was quite the skilled warrior. Had he not known any better, Erik would have sworn that the boy must have had some sort of military training.

They rough-housed for a while longer, knees connecting with chests, arms wrapped around necks, cheeks bashing against cheeks, but something felt off. Subtle, but hanging in the air.

"Harvest Goddess, Kross!" Erik moaned, throwing in a few more colorful words as he sat up on the smooth floor, gingerly brushing a finger against his left cheek. Kross had basically punted him in the chest, and in process, made Erik fly in a sharp corner of a counter. His cheek now had a red gash running across it.

"…Sorry… Do you… need a bandage?" Kross asking, bending over Erik and pulling him to his feet.

Erik flushed slightly, but shook his head. "Naw. If I'm lucky a girl might ask about it and I can conjure up some story." Both boys laughed, Erik warm and rich, and Kross restricted and soft. They were such polar opposites..

"What the hell were you so focused on anyway?" Erik asked, rubbing his shoulder. Normally he got at least a bit of a response. But Kross had been completely zoned out this time.

Kross smiled a bit, and beckoned Erik to his desk. "I'll show you." Oh great. Now he had to listen about how Kross had found a new way to reinforce sheds, or something. Why had he asked? Erik followed slowly, and watched as Kross pulled out a scroll and unrolled it. "It's a school. For the town."

"A school..?" Erik's warm brown eyes dilated in surprise and leaned over Kross' shoulder. There weren't very many children in Trampoli. Two, to be exact. And even then, Candy was smarter then he was, and Ganesha taught Marco at home.

"Mm." Kross nodded, moving with excitement. "See, Trampoli's getting a lot of new people, right? Its only a matter of time before we get more children. Plus, the school wouldn't be just for the little kids. We'd have cooking lessons, and metalworking..." Kross was pointing at numerous things, and Erik smiled to himself. Kross had such a passion for his work. "See, Alvarna and Kardia have gotten schools, so I thought it might be necessary." Erik nodded in understanding.

"Is that a dome roof?" Erik asked, raising an eyebrow and pointing at the curved line. Domed roofs were hard to come by. They were such a pain to make.

"Yeah. I was thinking stained glass. That way the light could shine in and the kids would really like it, Candy said she loved the colors of the Runeys, so.." Kross trailed off, fidgeting with his long hair, waiting to see if it gained the farmer's approval.

Erik's mouth was slacked. "Wow Kross." Was all he said for a moment. "You got a talent, man. You really do."

Kross' blush on his skin was obvious. Erik, feeling slightly awkward now, straightened up and coughed. "Better eat the food before it gets cold, neh?" He smiled, and headed into the other room, Kross following suit.

Erik sat down at one of the perfectly crafted chairs, and Kross stood, examining the food in front of him. He brushed some of his cerulean eyes, and bobbed his head. "Heh… I see no wine…"

"Well, Eunice thought we might like something warmer, what with the rain, so she made hot chocolate instead." Erik laughed lightly and grabbed the thermos, popping the lid off and pouring the warm liquid into the mugs. "A dashing young lady, isn't she?"

Kross shrugged and sat down.

-

The dinner went by as it usually did. Erik talked about the new things in town, the girls, his failed attempts at dating said girls, His arm wrestle with Danny and so forth, Kross listened politely, putting in his own input every now and again. Then Kross recited one of the old legends as he often did, as Erik listened like a puppy dog. It was rather quite for two boys, but it was a comfortable silence. There was no awkward conversation starter attempts, or anything like that at all. Eventually, the tall wax candles that had been placed around the table to give light became nothing more then stubs.

Erik yawned and glanced at his watch. It was nearing Ten O'clock. "We've been here for four hours." The man laughed, standing up and rubbing his eyes. "And I'm completely beat." This was true. As he had told Kross, he had had an extremely physically tiring day. Tilling, planting, over turning, rebuilding, blah blah blah. Farming was not for a weakling. Sighing, Erik glanced outside. It was still pouring.

Kross read his sigh perfectly. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and stood up as well. "Here… let me… find my rain coat… for you to wear." And for another moment, Kross disappeared into the other room.

Erik, who had nodded is appreciation, found himself lounging on Kross' bed. He was so freaking tired! And the bed… so comfy…

Even before his head hit Kross' pillow he was already fast asleep.

-

When Erik aroused a few hours later, he found the young carpenter lying next to him, jutting out awkwardly on top of the blankets. Was it because he was there, or perhaps he was always like this? Knowing Kross, Erik would not put it past him.

"Blankets?" Erik murmured softly, pulling the corner of the Wooly blanket up, offering Kross a bit more room. It was his bed after all. You would think that Erik would burst up, and then leave, but you see, Erik was not a bashful man. If he was comfortable, he was staying. The long haired boy didn't move at all. Erik rolled his sleepy eyes and pulled more of the blanket up, draping it over the carpenter. Again there was no reaction, and Erik laughed to himself. Kross looked even odder the way his bare feet stuck out under the blankets.

Something in his mind told him to stop now. But other, more bubbly voices blurred that one out. So, Erik tutted like a mother hen and scooted closer to the boy, secretly smiling devilishly. He had planned this before, although Kross had been a girl, and they hadn't ended up in bed together because Erik had fallen asleep and Kross was too sweet to tell him to get the hell out of his bed. But the principle was still the same. …Right?

Inching ever more closer, the bed squealed beneath Erik with light displeasure. As soon as he was close enough, Erik stretched out a bare arm in what he thought was a nonchalant way, and dropped it over Kross' chest. The best he got was a blink.

No worries, Erik the Great was not discouraged! Instead he tugged the man closer to him, pressing his chest to the other's bare back. Kross was simply frozen in surprise.

"You should really focus on relaxing when you sleep." Erik whispered, tugging Kross' feet under the covers with his own.

"Heh, you're drunk, aren't you?" Kross asked, turning his head to look back at his neighbor.

Erik giggled, which was surprisingly not as out of character as one might think and shook his head, burying it into Kross' hair. "Rita won't sell me enough to get drunk if I begged her to. Not after what happened on New Years and all." He spoke softly into the man's back.

There was a silence for a moment, and all that could be heard was the cackling of a dying fire, and the mesmerizing pounding on the rain on the roof.

"Then… why are you… doing this?" Kross' voice was soft, and was thankful that the thunder hadn't decided to boom, or else he was sure he would've missed the question.

For a moment, Erik froze, his hold on Kross slackened, his eyes clearing of sleep. Why _was_ he doing this? He was not gay, he had been attracted to Eusine for a long time…

But everything seemed… perfect. Kross' body fit marvelously against his. It was like he was supposed to be here, in this bed, with this boy. He couldn't explain it. It just… was.

"Because I want to." Erik started. "And it feels… right." Erik said, with sudden vigor. His grasp on the boy tightened again, mooshing their bodies together, and slamming his hip bones against Kross' lower back. "That's reason enough, isn't it?"

This time, the boy made a positive reaction to Erik's advances. With a simple response of an "Mm.." Kross let his body fully relax for the first time in a very long while.

Erik smiled contently and snuggled closer, resting his head on the curve of Kross' neck. Gently, Erik craned his neck, and found his teeth nibbling gently on Kross' earlobe. The man tensed for a moment, before becoming putty in his new lover's arms.

White teeth worked away at tanned skin, somewhat forcefully but never too hard. Kross uttered a slight moan a few times, causing Erik to smirk. Who would've thought that the almost nonexistent boy next door could make such delicious noises?

Eventually, sleep over came the boys, Erik passing out first, his mouth still locked on Kross' neck. The carpenter how ever, managed to stay conscious a little longer, as he thought about what had just happened to him. It was… interesting. Had this been a spur of the moment? Would anything come out of it? There were a lot of questions left unanswered. But he too, could only stay away so long, and soon he found himself curled up in Erik's arms, dreaming.

And so, for the first time in a very long time, both boys managed to sleep peacefully during the rain. Which, although caused numerous issues, somehow brought them together.


End file.
